Prevalence of depression is higher in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) than among seronegative people. Depressive symptoms have been observed in up to 40% of seropositive population. Presence of depressive symptoms has a negative impact on quality of life, optimal compliance of antiretroviral treatment, adoption of safe sexual behaviors, and on immune status and viral load.

Although antidepressants and psychotherapeutic interventions -particularly those with cognitive-behavioral components— have been proven effective in decreasing depressive symptoms in PLHIV, their use is limited among other causes due to misdiagnosis, patient refusal, possible interaction with antiretroviral treatments, or unavailability in the case of psychotherapy. Furthermore, identification and assessment of more accessible interventions that would decrease depressive symptoms and improve quality of life in PLHIV has become a crucial objective in the management of this chronic disease.

A meta-analysis shows that relaxation is an efficient intervention to reduce depressive symptoms in people diagnosed with depression or with high levels of depressive symptoms. According to some authors, relaxation, an easy-to-learn and self-applied intervention, proves to be a simple first line therapy capable of reducing depressive symptoms. However, the amount of relaxation needed to produce an effect on depression was not established in this meta-analysis and there are no results on the effects of relaxation in people whose depressive symptoms were caused by other diseases and only a study which includes PLHIV.

Given the prevalence of depressive symptoms and its consequences on the health of PLHIV and given the effects of relaxation on depressive symptoms, this pilot project aims to evaluate feasibility and acceptability of a relaxation intervention in PLHIV who suffer depressive symptoms, assess the feasibility and acceptability of the research project and assess the preliminary effects of a relaxation intervention.

Pilot Study to Determine the Feasibility, Acceptability and Preliminary Effects of Relaxation as a Nursing Intervention for Depressive Symptoms, Quality of Life, Immune Status and Viral Load in People Living With HIV

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Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01901016